To those who have it, how is Mysterious Song?

[nodtveidt]

The song in the first town is giving me some serious Rolling Stones vibes. Gotta figure out the song I'm thinking of.

You're thinking of "As Tears Go By". The piece in the game is called "Tears"... coincidence? No way.

Seriously though... it's a reinterpretation of As Tears Go By. I am not sure why DarkDread chose that track... maybe he's a Stones fan, maybe the piece just sounded good, who knows.

[motdelbourt]

Nice! I was checking Beggar's Banquet today, and found similar stuff but should have checked earlier. You could just hear that 60s Stones melody anywhere.

Marianne Faithfull's "original" version (as it was given to her first)

rawr

[ParanoiaDragon]

Paranoia Dragon took special care to ensure that the music was of the highest possible quality... he has equipment I don't have, and way more experience in the field of audio engineering. As such, my direct contributions to the sound are very minimal; I remastered the music for the cutscenes and the alternate ending... that's it. He did all the rest.

If we ever do another RPG (and we have a couple of ideas in mind down the road), then Squirrel will get used in them.

Awwwww, shucks, twernt nuthin'!    I actually do prefer a mix of PSG & Redbook, atleast when it comes to RPG's.  Maybe it's a nolstagic bias?

[Obfuscate]

How bad is the grinding? Is it Cosmic Fantasy 2 annoying? Or more like Dragon Slayer? I like turn based stuff but not when there is a battle every 2 steps.

[Arkhan]

Paranoia Dragon took special care to ensure that the music was of the highest possible quality... he has equipment I don't have, and way more experience in the field of audio engineering. As such, my direct contributions to the sound are very minimal; I remastered the music for the cutscenes and the alternate ending... that's it. He did all the rest.

If we ever do another RPG (and we have a couple of ideas in mind down the road), then Squirrel will get used in them.

Awwwww, shucks, twernt nuthin'!    I actually do prefer a mix of PSG & Redbook, atleast when it comes to RPG's.  Maybe it's a nolstagic bias?

I think it's that sometimes the high quality studio orchestra music doesn't fit the little goofy 16x16 tile artwork and stuff.

It's only sometimes though.  Not always.

[Necromancer]

How bad is the grinding? Is it Cosmic Fantasy 2 annoying? Or more like Dragon Slayer? I like turn based stuff but not when there is a battle every 2 steps.

You're talking about two different things - you'll need to do a lot of monster hunting (grinding) for exp and monies, but the encounter rate isn't bad at all.

[Obfuscate]

How bad is the grinding? Is it Cosmic Fantasy 2 annoying? Or more like Dragon Slayer? I like turn based stuff but not when there is a battle every 2 steps.

You're talking about two different things - you'll need to do a lot of monster hunting (grinding) for exp and monies, but the encounter rate isn't bad at all.

I don't mind having to gain a lot of experiance and putting time in. I just can't stand never being able to move a few steps without a battle. Thanks Necro!

[Necromancer]

I just can't stand never being able to move a few steps without a battle.

Me too.  That shit gets old real quick, especially when you're hurting and trying to limp back to the inn.

[Black Tiger]

I don't know exactly how Original mode differs from Balanced, but MS has the perfect encounter rate and it isn't always the exact same number of steps. Separate from that, regular fights are fast paced and fun. I enjoyed grinding as much as anything in the game. In Balanced mode, you can proceed straight through without having to really grind until you cone up to a boss. It really is balanced like a better RPG from bitd, where you'll grind a bit here abd there because you want to along the way and it doesn't feel like work.

[nodtveidt]

The music really helps in the battles too... the original version of "Burning My Ambition" was pretty cool, but it doesn't hold a candle to Paranoia Dragon's remix of it.

The encounter rate in the game is determined by a base value plus a random modifier, and every area has its own values for both. For example: one area might have a base value of 20 with a modifier of 10... that means that a battle will happen between 20 and 29 steps from the last battle. One area that is particularly dangerous has a base value of 60 with a modifier of 20... the area itself is a big enough challenge without being bogged down with tons of battles with the severely powerful monsters that inhabit it. We spent a lot of time tweaking the encounter rates for individual areas to ensure that the game wasn't annoying but not so few that you spend too much time wandering around in circles looking for battles.

[DesmondThe3rd]

I just got the game today and it plays great so far. It reminds me a lot of the classic RPG's back in the day like Phantasy Star and Dragon Warrior and the random enemy encounter rate isn't as bad as some other old school RPGs either.

[motdelbourt]

The battles are pretty fun. There's a bit of strategy involved with the tougher enemies, and after you've gained strength you can rapid fire your way through the weaker ones.

[Bernie]

How come the caves are void of enemies once you defeat the main guy in it?  I just got Ark his tools back.

[galam]

How come the caves are void of enemies once you defeat the main guy in it?  I just got Ark his tools back.

I kind of like this. Gives you a breather of sorts, and is better than when a cut scene ends and you are all of a sudden right where you need to be. It's more engaging when you need to backtrack a bit, and this doesn't make it so frustrating.

All in all I think it's great. Good progression, leveling, and grinding not a chore.
One thing that I love, as with any RPG of this style, is spell animations. These games always need spell animations if I'm going to see them through. I loathe RPGs where spells just make enemies flash no matter what spell you use. I'm looking at YOU dragon slayer.
Anyway, one challenge I'm finding (and others have mentioned it) but every 7th or 8th load time is a bear. 30 seconds plus, is tough when you only have an hour or so before the twins start up.

But splitting hairs aside, it's fantastic.

[nodtveidt]

All of the cave areas become devoid of enemies after certain conditions are met. As you've seen, Nemar Cave is cleared once you get Ark's tools. Illus Pass will already be cleared by this time as well. Wjatr's Lament also becomes cleared at a specific point, but I won't give that detail away.